POLL: Best John Williams Score of the 2010s

[SteveMc 2,672]

A new decade has dawned.  

So, it is time to look back at the Williams scores of the past one, now that we've all heard TROS multiple times!  

Which was the best score for you?

[Bellosh 1,921]

War Horse

[Jurassic Shark 9,744]

The Post, with TFA a strong contender.

[SteveMc 2,672]

So, shoot me, but I voted The Book Thief.  Why, besides the fact that it is my subjective favorite?  Well, I think it is a superbly well-crafted score, a kind of chamber score that flows so well.

TROS is more sophisticated.  TFA is more unique.  Lincoln is more noble and serious.

But it is The Book Thief that I can see being regularly performed in concert in the future.

 

[Not Mr. Big 4,210]

Lincoln

[mstrox 5,860]

WAR HORSE

[Not Mr. Big 4,210]

LINCOLN

[Smaug The Iron 436]

The Last Jedi 

[Jurassic Shark 9,744]

War Horse makes me hungry.

[Tom 3,692]

Lincoln.  Beautiful, delicate themes and orchestrations.  Also, top-tier concert suite.  If we we going off just concert suites, btw, BFG would be in the running for number 1 for me.  

[DrTenma 113]

A tough choice... War Horse, Tintin and Lincoln are absolutely great. But I voted to TFA, I think that one is probably my favourite score from this period.

[Brundlefly 2,326]

Lincoln

[MaestroUE 29]

My favorite would be Tintin. It’s not only the best of his 2010s, it’s one of his all time best scores in my opinion. Some have criticized it for not having enough “thematic memorability & depth” which I say is a total BS. The richness and the complexity of that score is just JW at his best. 
PS: I’m really struggling to understand how some voted TROS to be better than Tintin. I mean, I could understand the choice of TFA to a point but as good and exciting TROS score is, it’s not even close to the quality of Tintin or Lincoln. 

[crumbs 12,958]

2 hours ago, MaestroUE said:

I mean, I could understand the choice of TFA to a point but as good and exciting TROS score is, it’s not even close to the quality of Tintin or Lincoln. 

 

Interesting. I'd argue that TROS is a far more layered, inspired and densely-orchestrated work than TFA, even if the thematic originality established in TFA was far stronger (for obvious reasons). But the modulations and development JW does with existing themes is far more interesting in 8+9 than in TFA (which makes narrative sense, this isn't a criticism per se).

 

I think TROS overall has significantly more interesting unreleased music, whereas most of the unreleased music from TFA is fairly uninteresting underscore. Several tracks on the OST are pretty dull as well, like Rathtars and Girl With The Staff. It's a shame we got cues like that rather than the unused version of Han's death, or Hux's Speech, or either version of Finn vs the trooper, purely because JJ decided not to use them (despite being some of the best cues JW wrote for the film!)

 

There's so much unused/unheard material from all 3 scores in the new trilogy, it's hard to judge the scores in totality (unlike Lincoln where we have a very clear idea of what was recorded). Arguably Tintin is in a similar boat here, with the film practically scored twice.

 

Anyway, I voted for War Horse because I adore JW's flute writing and the score is dripping with emotion and some of his strongest ever themes. It's an absolute winner with a superb end credits suite to cap it all off. An immense return to form after the middling KOTCS three years prior. Between War Horse and Lincoln, it's hard to believe he was still crafting such instantly memorable new themes as he turned 80.

[TheUlyssesian 2,301]

10 minutes ago, crumbs said:

the unused version of Han's death, or Hux's Speech, or either version of Finn vs the trooper

 

Where can I hear these tracks?

 

10 minutes ago, crumbs said:

Arguably Tintin is in a similar boat here, with the film practically scored twice.

 

Is this true? Why was the film scored twice? Did it change in the edit?

[crumbs 12,958]

Just now, TheUlyssesian said:

Where can I hear these tracks?

 

 

 

Can't find a video of the Finn vs stormtrooper music but it was in the huge TFA thread a few years ago (along with lots of other alternates that never got used in the film, but turned up in bonus features on the video release).

 

5 minutes ago, TheUlyssesian said:

Is this true? Why was the film scored twice? Did it change in the edit?

 

JW scored an early version of the film about a year before release, so they could lay down some music and see how the film was working. It underwent lots of changes/re-editing as all animated films do, so he came back a few months before release and scored everything else + re-did cues for scenes that had changed substantially after his early scoring sessions.

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,355]

I've been having a bit of trouble completing this poll. Every time I try to select them all the dot will only stay on one...

 

 

[TheUlyssesian 2,301]

1 hour ago, crumbs said:

 

 

 

Can't find a video of the Finn vs stormtrooper music but it was in the huge TFA thread a few years ago (along with lots of other alternates that never got used in the film, but turned up in bonus features on the video release).

 

 

JW scored an early version of the film about a year before release, so they could lay down some music and see how the film was working. It underwent lots of changes/re-editing as all animated films do, so he came back a few months before release and scored everything else + re-did cues for scenes that had changed substantially after his early scoring sessions.

 

Thanks. The Hux cue is great. I think it is the biggest First Order motif usage that I have heard.

[Not Mr. Big 4,210]

4 hours ago, MaestroUE said:

My favorite would be Tintin. It’s not only the best of his 2010s, it’s one of his all time best scores in my opinion. Some have criticized it for not having enough “thematic memorability & depth” which I say is a total BS. The richness and the complexity of that score is just JW at his best. 
PS: I’m really struggling to understand how some voted TROS to be better than Tintin. I mean, I could understand the choice of TFA to a point but as good and exciting TROS score is, it’s not even close to the quality of Tintin or Lincoln. 

TROS has emotional weight that Tin_tin doesn't.  Tin_tin is mostly just wacky fun music.  They're different scores with different strengths

[Dixon Hill 4,232]

It's Lincoln.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,479]

11 hours ago, SteveMc said:

So, shoot me, but I voted The Book Thief.

 

[Naïve Old Fart 7,933]

13 hours ago, SteveMc said:

...The Book Thief.  Why, besides the fact that it is my subjective favorite?  Well, I think it is a superbly well-crafted score, a kind of chamber score that flows so well.

...it is The Book Thief that I can see being regularly performed in concert in the future.

 

This! Well done, Steve. THE BOOK THIEF is a late-flowering masterpiece.

[Joni Wiljami 1,173]

The Book Thief

[Josh500 1,611]

It's easily  War Horse or The Force Awakens for me. I voted for the former. 

[Thor 5,946]

THE POST, followed by WAR HORSE.

[Jurassic Shark 9,744]

1 minute ago, Thor said:

THE POST

 

Correct answer.

[Disco Stu 15,475]

18 hours ago, Not Mr. Big said:

Lincoln

 

17 hours ago, Not Mr. Big said:

LINCOLN

 

7 hours ago, Dixon Hill said:

It's Lincoln.

 

 

[filmmusic 1,365]

The Post seems a really unusual choice to me, when we have all the other scores.

[publicist 4,636]

It has to be Lincoln, but that's also due to a lack of ballsy alternatives.

[TheUlyssesian 2,301]

Tintin on paper is really his most accomplished score this decade. The complexity dwarfs his star wars work too. Over a dozen new themes - all original - interwoven into a tapestry. No old theme crutches to lean on. Extremely dense action writing with some of the most nimble, dextrous and virtuoso music Williams has ever written - a lot of it would be quite difficult for an orchestra to play. Did I mention it is also very entertaining and memorable.

 

Best Overall Score: Tintin

Most Effective Score: The Post

Best Score to Experience on Album: Lincoln

Best Score to Experience in Movie: War Horse

Most Memorable: The Force Awakens

[publicist 4,636]

19 minutes ago, TheUlyssesian said:

Tintin on paper is really his most accomplished score this decade. The complexity dwarfs his star wars work too. Over a dozen new themes - all original - interwoven into a tapestry. No old theme crutches to lean on. Extremely dense action writing with some of the most nimble, dextrous and virtuoso music Williams has ever written - a lot of it would be quite difficult for an orchestra to play. 

 

I'm not going to rain on your parade here, but Tintin is really quite a lightweight compared to his 80's works (the orchestration is really simplified). Compared to other 2010 scores, possibly. Though BFG isn't much different.

[Jay 31,998]

Poor BFG, no votes at all!

 

I don't really get what Dear Basketball is doing on this poll, how can you compare a 4 minute score to all these 40-200 minute scores

[Fabulin 3,442]

.

[TheUlyssesian 2,301]

10 minutes ago, publicist said:

 

I'm not going to rain on your parade here, but Tintin is really quite a lightweight compared to his 80's works (the orchestration is really simplified). Compared to other 2010 scores, possibly. Though BFG isn't much different.

 

It is more hyperactive than his 80's work which was a different era of film-making. I would say Tintin is his most successful attempt to match todays fast paced machine gun editing style. While Tintin is also heavily edited in the movie, it isn't massacred and cut to shreds like the modern star wars scores. 

[Holko 8,205]

ESB and parts of RotJ are cut to shreds, too.

[crumbs 12,958]

And the less said about the prequels, the better.

 

TLJ is probably the best a Williams score has been treated in the SW series since the original. None of this absurd tracked music from other films (excepting Main Title, which shouldn't have been tracked in the first place!)

[Will 2,130]

Has to be TFA. War Horse is a close second. 

[Bilbo 3,706]

1. Warhorse 

2. Lincoln (sorry Disco)

3. The Rise of Skywalker

4. The Last Jedi

5. The Force Awakens

7. The Post

8. The Book Thief

9. Tintin

I’ve never heard Dear Basketball. 

[publicist 4,636]

59 minutes ago, TheUlyssesian said:

It is more hyperactive than his 80's work which was a different era of film-making. I would say Tintin is his most successful attempt to match todays fast paced machine gun editing style. 

 

And he much streamlined his orchestrations, which are a far cry from the like of Temple of Doom (which is much more hyperactive, to be honest). Not necessarily a bad thing, as it is easier on the ear.

[Brundlefly 2,326]

6 minutes ago, publicist said:

And he much streamlined his orchestrations, which are a far cry from the like of Temple of Doom (which is much more hyperactive, to be honest). Not necessarily a bad thing, as it is easier on the ear.

What would you say? Which of his works are on the other end?

[pete 736]

1 hour ago, Bilbo said:

I’ve never heard Dear Basketball. 

 

It's only about 5 minutes. Nice theme - beautiful and touching and restrained, but you can't really compare it to the film scores that are an hour or two or three at least in terms of hours of effort that went into their creation.

 

Here it is.. just missing a short minute long end credits:
 

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6gkjqd

 

Well, he certainly produced a lot of music. Those scores, an oboe concerto, about 12 other pieces such as Markings and Fanfare for Frenway and Conversations etc. Plus Han Solo and Galaxy's Edge, the recent violin album, the third Spielberg/Williams collaboration, and a whole bunch of concerts. - Am I missing anything? A few less film scores and concerti than the previous decade, but that's still quite an addition to his body of work. I don't think we could have hoped for more at the beginning of the decade. And he also spent a bit of time listening to and approving a lot of expanded releases. And he probably wrote a few things we may never hear of. A few health issues too. 

 

Favorites of the film scores. I'm enjoying more The Last Jedi after revisiting it recently, but I love the smaller scores as well. Hard to rank, but I would put Tintin and The Post in the bottom two places, much as a I love elements of those scores. And I'd leave off the basketball one due to its brevity. 

[publicist 4,636]

19 minutes ago, Brundlefly said:

What would you say? Which of his works are on the other end?

 

All genre scores that happened between Star Wars and Jurassic Park.

[SteveMc 2,672]

1 hour ago, Jay said:

 

I don't really get what Dear Basketball is doing on this poll, how can you compare a 4 minute score to all these 40-200 minute scores

Last time I did a poll like this the first four posts or so were complaining that it was not there.

 

[filmmusic 1,365]

Don't know how to vote. I'm between Tintin, War horse and Lincoln.

I know what my last choice would be though (if we leave Dear Basketball out): The Post.

[Jurassic Shark 9,744]

5 minutes ago, filmmusic said:

Don't know how to vote.

 

Just select one of the options and push Submit vote.

[pete 736]

6 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

Just select one of the options and push Submit vote.

 

I honestly can't!^ I do think I need more time to digest the new Star Wars score, but War Horse and Lincoln .... I'd need someone to put a gun to my head to make me choose one, and even then I'd hesitate.

[Jurassic Shark 9,744]

 

4 minutes ago, pete said:

I honestly can't!^ I do think I need more time to digest the new Star Wars score, but War Horse and Lincoln .... I'd need someone to put a gun to my head to make me choose one, and even then I'd hesitate.

 

Oh, sorry, here's what I meant to say:

 

11 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

Just select The Post and push Submit vote.

[pete 736]

Done

[mstrox 5,860]

I had an internal struggle over WAR HORSE and TFA.  Not much of a struggle, but TFA is up there.  It's too soon for me to really evaluate TROS in a big picture way.  I'm still digesting that one.

[Bellosh 1,921]

It's so wonderful to see War Horse go neck and neck with a Star Wars score. 🤗